A storage system typically comprises one or more storage devices where information may be entered, and from which information may be obtained, as desired. The storage system typically includes a storage operating system that functionally organizes the system by, inter alia, invoking storage operations in support of a storage service implemented by the system. The storage system may be implemented in accordance with a variety of storage architectures including, but not limited to, a network-attached storage environment, a storage area network and a storage device directly attached to a user or host computer. Storage of information is preferably implemented as one or more storage “volumes” of physical storage devices, defining an overall logical arrangement of storage space.
Storage systems often have to store millions of directory entries to implement a hierarchical organization of data stored with the volumes. It is desirable to manage the directory entries in a manner such that the directory entries can be searched quickly when accessing underlying data blocks and the storage of such directory entries may be optimized within the storage space. Continuous efforts are being made to enhance the management of directory entries to optimize the processing and storage of volume metadata such as directory entries.